


Sacrificing the World

by StereKDestiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Death, M/M, Mild Cannibalism, Torture, mild drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-17
Updated: 2012-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-05 13:16:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StereKDestiel/pseuds/StereKDestiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel has been missing for months.  Dean finds out where he is, but gets no help from anyone else, so he sets off on his own.  He gets captured.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrificing the World

****

****

### 

**Prologue**

****

**_ Three months ago_**

The sky was dark.  Castiel stood on a field of grass, surrounded by a small building, a swing set and plastic slide contraptions.  His head shifted several times, his eyes scanning for someone.   
  
“Dean?”  
  
Puzzled by the silence, Castiel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Dean’s number. He searched for the sound of ringing in the distance, but found none.  
  
“Hey Cas, what’s up?”  
  
Castiel noticed a familiar emotion rise when he heard Dean’s voice. Frustration. He did not like this emotion. Dean was the only person who could make him feel that. Castiel had enjoyed some of the emotions he had developed, but not this one.   
  
“Dean. Where are you?”  
  
“I’m at a motel in Arizona. We’re tracking this vampire. She killed --”  
  
“Why are you not here?” Castiel interrupted impatiently. “I’m waiting for you.”  
  
“Where? I didn’t know we were supposed to meet,” Dean replied.  
  
“I received a message on the phone,” Castiel sighed. A very human thing to do, he realized. “You told me to meet you at the park in Sioux City.”  
  
“Cas, no, I didn’t. Are you sure it was my number? You seeing someone else?” Dean joked.  
  
Castiel tensed up. He felt the presence of another angel. And another.   
  
“Cas? You there?”  
  
Castiel spun around and his blade roared, ready to fend off the incoming blade. White sparks burst as the blades clashed and Castiel’s hold on the cell phone loosened. It slipped through his hand as Castiel fought off the angel’s advances and clattered on the ground.  
  
“Cas??”  
  
The angel jabbed his blade, but Castiel blocked it with his and broke the angel’s nose with the other hand. The angel stumbled but managed to stay on his feet. He bent his knees and slashed at Castiel’s stomach. Castiel grabbed the angel’s wrist with his left hand, pushed the angel’s arm to the side, away from him, and pulled him close. Castiel raised his blade high and brought it down through his throat.   
  
“Goodbye, brother,” Castiel prayed as two more angels approached.  
  
Before the cell phone shattered under the pressure of the fallen angel’s grace, Dean caught the words, “Raphael and --”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_** Present Day ** _

Dean groaned. “Lucifer? We have to go after Raphael and Lucifer to get Cas back?”  
  
“Looks like it, yeah,” Meg replied.    
  
“Fuck,” Dean cursed.  
  
Dean sat down on Bobby’s couch. His mind fired up as he tried to think of ways he could get to Castiel. The blood symbol won’t work as that would send Castiel away too. All Dean’s got is Sam, Bobby, Meg, and the Colt, and the Colt’s useless. Dean knew they couldn’t do it alone.  
  
“We have to get help. Balthazar. Gabriel. Anyone who can help.”  
  
“You think any of them will help us?” Bobby asked.  
  
“We've got to try,” Sam murmured.   
  
“Okay, get the stuff we need, we’re going to summon them,” Bobby said.   
  
Dean got up and went around the house picking up the ingredients, but he wasn’t focused on his task. He kept thinking about Castiel. If it was Lucifer... then what are the odds he’s still alive? Why do they want him? What are they doing to him? His eyes grew harder as each thought rolled past.  
  
As Bobby was finishing up the ritual preparations, he watched Dean. He noted the look Dean had on his face. Ever since Castiel disappeared, Bobby thought that Dean had been a little disconnected with the rest of his family. He was there, but a part of him wasn’t. It was almost like that part disappeared on the day Castiel did. And now, Bobby recognized the look on Dean’s face. Bobby knew that look very well, as he saw it often in the mirror in the months after he killed his wife.    
  
The loss of a soul mate. Bobby didn’t think it was possible considering Dean’s history with women but, then again, angels are technically genderless... but Jimmy Novak sure isn’t. Was Dean really in love with Castiel? An angel?    
  
“Hey idjit, pay attention," Bobby said, interrupting Dean's thoughts. "We got stuff to do.”  
  
“Right, right. Let’s go.”  
  
Dean and Sam walked to the altar where Bobby was. Meg chose to sit on the counter in the kitchen. Meg and the angels still don’t get along. Bobby started reciting the incantations and after it had ended, both Balthazar and Gabriel stood in front of them.    
  
“Oh, hello Gabriel. Fancy seeing you here.”  
  
“Balthazar,” Gabriel fakes a smile. “Winchesters. This was not good timing. What do you want?”  
  
Dean was the first to speak, “Balthazar, Gabriel, we need your help. We figured out who helped Raphael take Cas. It was Lucifer. We can’t take them on ourselves, but we have a chance with you two.”  
  
“Are you kidding me? You summoned me away from triplets to ask me to go on a suicide mission?”  
  
“Triplets?” Dean perked up. “Dang, sorry about that. That must be nice.”  
  
“I was about to find out,” Gabriel glared.  
  
Sam couldn’t stop himself from smirking as he rolled his eyes. “Dean.”  
  
“Sorry,” Dean offered.  
  
“If it was Lucifer, Castiel’s probably dead by now. I don’t think anybody could survive three months with Raphael and Lucifer. You boys should probably give up,” shrugged Balthazar.   
  
“The demon said Castiel’s still alive,” Meg chimed in.  
  
“They must not be very good at torturing then,” suggested Balthazar. “Maybe you should teach them how to do it, eh, demon?”  
  
Meg rolled her eyes.  
  
“Come on! Why are you giving up? Isn’t Cas one of your brothers?” Dean shouted.  
  
“Yeah, he is,” Gabriel growled. “So is Raphael and Lucifer. You keep forgetting that.”   
  
“So you guys are just going to let them torture Cas?”  
  
“Yeah, unless you have a better plan than ‘run in and get stabbed to death by Raphael and Lucifer’ I’m going to let them have their fun with your boyfriend,” Balthazar quipped.    
  
“Screw you guys,” Dean said, grinding his teeth. “Meg, did you get an address from the demon?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Give it to me. I’ll go alone, since the rest of you are useless.” Dean stated. He had directed the words at the angels, but he meant it for all of them. The only person who had helped Dean find anything on what had happened to Castiel was Meg. She found the demon and she tortured the information out of him. Bobby and Sam found nothing. The angels were too concerned about themselves, as usual. It seemed like nobody cared about finding Castiel the way Dean did.  
  
“Dean --” Sam started, but Dean wasn’t interested. “No, Sammy. I’m doing this.”  
  
Meg wrote down the address and handed it over to Dean. He took it, folded it into his pocket, and left without a word.    
  
“Guess it’s not a one-way relationship after all,” Balthazar snickered as he flitted away. Gabriel grinned and disappeared as well. Bobby and Sam looked at each other. As they heard the Impala’s engine roar then fade into the distance, Bobby could only say one word.  
  
“Balls.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean was sitting on one side of the hood of the Impala, staring at the warehouse that resided at the address Meg gave him. Dean wished Sam was occupying the spot next to him. Instead, there was nobody.    
  
Dean was so emotional the drive felt like it took only minutes. It was a four-hour drive. Dean started off angry, upset at the angels for being indifferent to Cas’ (and his) plight. Upset at Bobby for not coming through when he needed him the most.  Upset at Sam for stopping him from going out looking for Cas on a few occasions during the last three months. Most of all, Dean was upset with himself for letting it happen. For caring so much. For not being able to help Castiel.  
  
The more he blamed himself, the less anger he directed at the world. Dean wanted to punish himself for screwing up, but he didn’t know how. He just knew he couldn’t lose Cas. He was just not sure why. Cas is... an angel. What else is he? He’s... family. If angels could be family. But... that wasn’t it. He thought about what Meg told him. He wondered if she was right. Was he --  
  
Dean froze at the sound of wings flapping. The car buckled under the weight of the angel that occupied the spot next to Dean.    
  
“Hey there, Dean.”  
  
 _Lucifer_ , Dean thought as he glanced over.  _Fuck_.  
  
“You’ve been sitting out here for hours. Why don’t you come in?” Lucifer grinned and put his arm around Dean’s shoulders, and both of them disappeared as Lucifer’s wings flapped.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean awoke to find himself behind held against a slab of metal, hanging at about 75 degrees. Steel brackets locked his wrists and ankles to the slab. The first thing Dean noticed was the cold sting of the metal pressing against his back and arms.  He was shirtless.    
  
Dean lifted his head to get a better feel of his surrounding, but immediately focused on one thing that was only a few feet away from him. Castiel. He was being held the same way, unconscious. His clothes had been ripped into shreds by some sort of blade -- and the cuts didn’t stop after it broke through cloth.    
  
“Cas!! Are you alive? Are you okay? Cas!”  
  
Cas’ body was covered with fresh cuts and scars, many of them several weeks if not months old. Dried and fresh blood smeared across his body. Dean couldn’t see Cas’ face, but he thought that his nose might have been broken.    
  
“Castiel!” Dean screamed.  
  
“Don’t bother, Dean,” Lucifer’s voice came from behind. “He’s not going to wake up for a while.”  
  
“Cas! Wake up! Castiel!!”  
  
Raphael walked into Dean’s view, wearing the female vessel. Dean refused to even acknowledge Raphael, he just kept screaming.  
  
“Cas! Cas!”  
  
Raphael stepped in front Castiel and stared into Dean’s eyes. “Do you know where the weapon is?”  
  
“What? No, I don’t know where they are. I thought you already took them,” Dean replied.  
  
“I told you, Raphael. Castiel wouldn’t tell any human where it was. Not even his pet, Dean,” laughed Lucifer.  
  
“Then he is useless. I will kill him.”  
  
“No, Raphael. I wouldn’t say he’s useless. Let’s see how Castiel feels now that he’s here. Do go ahead and get started with the torture, though.”  
  
Dean hadn’t noticed them before, but there was a table nearby full of weapons. There was the archangel blade, knives, daggers, maces, et cetera. There was even a nutcracker. Dean winced at the thought.  
  
Raphael kept her eyes on Dean’s as she picked up a long dagger. She stepped closer to Dean, leaned into his ear, and whispered, “I am going to make you regret that time you left me inside that holy fire...  _Bitch_.”  
  
Raphael dug into Dean’s shoulder with the tip of the dagger. She dragged it down the length of Dean’s arm, splitting open the skin, blood pouring out. Dean tried to hold it in, but the pain was too much. Raphael was going slowly deliberately -- she wanted Dean to feel every centimeter of pain the dagger created. The sound of Dean’s groaning scream stirred Castiel.    
  
“Hey Lucifer, I think Raphael here has a gender now,” Dean managed to blurt out in between gasps.  
  
A small smile crept into Lucifer's face. Raphael’s jaws clenched, and she dug the dagger deeper into Dean’s arm and twisted.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Castiel vaguely noticed a voice in pain. It didn’t make sense though; it didn’t sound like his own voice. It was familiar, however. It sounded like... Dean’s. Castiel woke up with a start, looked up and swallowed when his eyes focused and the image of Dean screaming sharpened.    
  
“Dean?! Why are you here? Don’t do this, Raphael. Let him go. He has nothing to do with this.”  
  
Castiel tried to break free of the shackles that held him place, but he was powerless to do so. The Enochian symbols behind him and on the brackets stripped him of his abilities. He knew it was pointless, but he had to try.  
  
“Nothing to do with this? This human made a fool out of me... with your help,” Raphael snarled. “He killed Zachariah. He has interfered with Heaven’s plans. He must be punished.”  
  
“Don’t do this, Raphael. Please. Your anger is misplaced in him. I am the one who has harmed you.”  
  
“Well well, Castiel. I’ve seen more life from you in the last two minutes than I’ve seen in the last two months combined. What an effect Dean Winchester has on you, Castiel,” Lucifer commented as he walked into Dean and Cas’ views.  “I should have hung him up here a while ago.”  
  
“So, it takes an archangel and the devil himself to kill little old me, huh,” Dean mocked. Raphael’s eyes narrowed, but Lucifer just simply laughed.  
  
“Yes, classic Dean. I love it. Keep it up. You’re not going to have much opportunity to laugh anymore, Dean.”  
  
Dean had nothing to say to that. Lucifer smiled, scanned for a specific knife on the table and picked it up and stabbed Castiel’s hand. The intensity of Castiel’s scream bounced Dean’s head off the metal platform. Dean winced, but his focus was on Castiel. His grace was glowing through the wound.  
  
“Cas! Are you okay? What the hell is up with that knife?!”  
  
“Oh, you didn’t notice? This blade is engraved with Enochian symbols," Lucifer explained. "His grace feels every cut, every nick, and every stab. I’m not even sure how he has any left, to be honest.”  
  
“I’m going to kill you both,” Dean muttered. “And I’m going to make it hurt.”  
  
“I would like to see that, Dean,” Lucifer replied. “I really would. That would be interesting, wouldn’t it, Castiel?”  
  
Castiel’s only reply was a groan as Lucifer removed the knife from his hand. Lucifer walked over to Dean and placed the same blade on Dean’s palm.    
  
“Don’t -- don’t, Lucifer,” Castiel begged.  
  
“This knife is an extra special one. It’ll give you the experience of his pain,” Lucifer jerked his head Castiel’s way. “Are you ready to feel parts of your soul rip apart? Oh wait, haven’t you experienced that already? You should be used to this pain, then.”   
  
“Lucifer, no!”  
  
Lucifer was grinning as he shoved the knife into Dean’s hand.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean’s bare chest was half stripped of its skin. Blood dripped all over his body, the exposed muscles glistening. A knife cut into his skin and sliced another strip off. Alastair picked up the skin and held it over Dean’s chest, waiting for the blood to stop dripping. Every drop pounded against Dean’s exposed muscle, sending ripples of pain. 

  
Alastair examined and placed the strip of skin on one of the chains that held Dean in place. The adjacent strips of skin had already dried up in the heat. Alastair’s attention focused on Dean’s chest once again.  
  
“You have delicious nipples, has anyone ever told you that?” Alastair asked.  
  
“Fuck you.”  
  
Alastair dug the knife into Dean’s chest and carved his right nipple out. He licked it, then nibbled on it. As he placed it down on top of one of the strips of skin on the chain, Alastair remarked, “Your blood... it’s so good. The blood of a righteous man.  I really do hope you don’t ever accept my proposal, because I’d hate to have to stop eating you.”  
  
“Fuck. You,” Dean panted.  
  
Alastair chuckled, and stuck the knife deep into Dean’s side. Ignoring Dean’s screams, he picked up the nipple and drifted off, leaving Dean alone.  
  
“Sam! Someone help me!”  
  
It’s been years since the hellhounds dragged Dean down, but he still clung to the hope that someone would come to his rescue somehow.    
  
“Sammy! Help me!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dean!! Stop it, Lucifer!” Castiel screamed.

  
Lucifer pulled the knife out of Dean’s hand, and his screaming stopped almost immediately. Dean’s head dropped, and he was panting ferociously. Lucifer raked his fingers into Dean’s sweat-drenched hair, gripped it, and pulled his head up.    
  
“That’s just a small taste of what you’re going to be experiencing. I told you you weren’t going to have much time left to laugh.”  
  
Dean’s eyes darted from Lucifer’s eyes to Castiel’s eyes. Lucifer let go of Dean’s hair, and Dean’s head hung as he stared at Castiel, breathing heavily.   
  
Castiel saw the pain that was in his eyes. He knew the pain Dean was suffering from, but there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that Sam and Bobby would come, but then again, what could they do against a pair of archangels?    
  
A laughter broke Castiel’s focus and he looked at Raphael. She was wielding the same knife Lucifer had just been holding. Without a single word, she drew a line across Castiel’s chest with the tip lightly. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to feel the grace within whimper from the upcoming assault. Then, she plunged the knife into the left side of Castiel’s body, piercing his pancreas.    
  
Dean nearly passed out from the sound of Castiel’s scream.  
  
“Cas! Hang in there! Everything will be fine! Cas! Listen to me!”  
  
Castiel never heard Dean's words. The only thing he knew was pain.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Castiel was with his fellow angels in Heaven when he heard the call. He looked around his peers and they confirmed that they had received the message as well.  
  
 _Castiel, go and raise the righteous man out of Hell.  Return his soul among the living._  
  
God wants Castiel to go into Hell and free a soul? That has never happened before. No Angel has left Heaven in 2,000 years, not counting Anna (she had fallen, after all) and Gabriel, who went missing. Castiel pondered what makes this man so special, especially considering what he has been doing for the last decade in Hell. Not one to disobey his orders, however, Castiel set out.  
  
Castiel had never been in Hell before. He’s seen it and heard about it plenty of times, but never physically been in it. The environment depressed him. It was eternally dark, the only light coming from some fire in the distance. It was so far away but somehow cast enough light for visibility. There were thousands of chains suspended, some attached to souls, some attached to the darkness. Clouds of black smoke floated across the place, the majority of them fleeing. Castiel couldn't feel the presence of his fellow angels nor Heaven's call -- he was truly on his own.  
  
Once Castiel had entered Hell, however, he knew exactly where Dean was -- his soul was the only one in there that felt out of place. He moved toward the source of that essence.  
  
Castiel smote several foolish demons that tried to stop him and found Dean. He was stripping the soul of a young boy, about ten years old. Castiel looked into Dean’s eyes, and they were a dull seaweed green color. He found nothing. No desire. This was not even the same man that once enjoyed his turn behind the knife. Castiel saw only despair.   
  
Castiel placed his hand on Dean’s shoulder and the skin between hand and shoulder burned brightly. White light throbbed from the skin contact, and Dean’s eyes brightened into a peacock green color and shone bright. Castiel saw the pain in his eyes return, but he saw much more than that. In the few seconds that their skins touched, Castiel saw and... _felt_ Dean’s soul. Castiel shared his grace. He understood why God wanted him risen. He understood why Dean was a righteous man.   
  
Dean was special. Castiel had no idea how special, however.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The glow of Castiel’s grace took a few seconds to dim after Raphael removed the blade. Castiel groaned as he returned to reality.  
  
“Hey Cas? You okay?”  
  
“No, I’m not. Are you?”  
  
“How sweet,” Lucifer squee’d. “Neither of you care how bad you have it, as long as the other’s okay. How.. human. I would expect that from you, Dean, but not you, Castiel. What’s happening to you? Are you falling? If poor Castiel isn’t an angel anymore, then what good are you?”  
  
“Hey Cas,” Dean spoke. “No matter what they do to me, don’t tell them anything.”  
  
“I won’t,” gasped Castiel.    
  
“You probably should,” Lucifer said as he took the blade from Raphael. “If you don’t, I’m going to kill your little pet here.”    
  
Lucifer raised the knife and pointed it at one end of Dean’s neck. Dean gulped.  
  
“Last chance. Tell me where it is.”  
  
“You... you would not,” Castiel hoped.  
  
“ _I_ wouldn’t?” Lucifer replied angrily. “Why the fuck not?  He’s insignificant. Worthless. In human terms, an ant. He means nothing to me. You, on the other hand, are my brother. I care about you. I don’t want to do this to you, but I must.  I don’t give a shit about Dean Winchester,” and to prove his point, Lucifer slashed Dean’s throat.   
  
“DEAN!!”   
  
Castiel screamed as blood spewed from the cut. Dean’s soul pulsated beyond the gap, groaning from the agony. He made no sound, as the blade had cut through his vocal chords. Dean couldn’t scream, speak, or breathe. All he could do was choke.  Instead of his voice, his eyes screamed.  
  
“NO, DEAN!!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Impala was parked behind a warehouse, with very little light around. Dean and Castiel were sitting on the hood, both of them splashed with blood. Dean was holding something that looked like a cigarette.  
  
“What’s that?” Castiel asked.  
  
“This, Cas, is called marijuana,” Dean said, showing off a joint. “Do you know what it is?”  
  
“Yes. A recreational drug humans use.”  
  
“Hey,” Dean objected with a laugh. “It’s medical too. Sometimes. Like now, we just finished a job. We need to unwind!”   
  
Grinning, Dean lit it up and inhaled. He passed it over to Castiel, but he shook his head.  
  
“Come on, Cas. We need some us time too, you know? To relax. You need that too.”  
  
Castiel stared into Dean’s eyes, searching for approval. Dean felt goosebumps whenever Castiel would stare at him like that, and this time was no different. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arm as his mouth curved into a smile, and Castiel was sold.  
  
“Okay. How do I do this?” Castiel asked.  
  
“Just inhale. Take a deep breath. You might cough, but that’s good,” Dean instructed.   
  
Castiel took the joint, stared at it, then took a hit. He began coughing almost immediately and Dean cracked up.  
  
“You okay, Cas? Need some water?”  
  
“No, I am fine. I do not understand why this is recreational,” Castiel said after he could finally stop coughing.    
  
“It takes a few minutes for the effect to hit, just wait.”  
  
Dean and Castiel shared a few more hits of the joint, before Dean laid down on the hood and looked up at the sky. After a moment, Castiel did the same. In the dimness, the stars shone harder. Hundreds of them littered across the night sky, the night’s only source of light.  
  
“Cas, where’s Heaven?”  
  
Castiel turned to Dean and stammered, “I... I don’t know.  It is not in any one place. Heaven is in a different dimension. It just...”  
  
“Typical,” Dean said. He wasn’t looking at Castiel, yet he could feel his eyes drilling into his skull. It felt... good. He liked it. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he liked having Castiel's eyes on him.  
  
“So, Cas, do you feel the effects now?”  
  
“Yes, I do think I am.”  
  
“And?”  
  
Castiel thought about it for a minute and said, “It is peaceful. Relaxing.” Then he smiled and closed his eyes. “Very relaxing.”  
  
Dean smiled. As his eyes scoured the stars, a few minutes passed with silence. Dean turned his head and looked at Castiel.  
  
“I like this, Cas,” Dean said as Castiel’s eyes met his. “I like being here with you. There’s no need for words. We can just... be ourselves.”  
  
Castiel wasn’t sure exactly what Dean meant by that but, it didn’t matter because he agreed.    
  
“Yes... I like it too,” Castiel whispered.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“DEAN!!!” Castiel roared, thrashing against the bonds that gripped him tightly. Instead of breaking free, his wrists cut into the brackets and bled. Castiel took no notice.  
  
“Dean!!”  
  
“Oh, this is glorious,” cackled Lucifer. “I do believe we have found your weakness.” He touched Dean and the cut on his neck disappeared, and he gulped down air. Panting heavily, Dean swallowed several times and tried to look down at his neck, at the non-existent wound.    
  
“That... was not pleasant,” gasped Dean.    
  
“Let him go, Lucifer, please,” Castiel begged.   
  
“No, I don’t think I’ll be letting him go. In fact, I’ll kill him again right now, if you don’t tell me where it is. And I won’t bring him back this time.”  
  
Castiel glowered at Lucifer, furious. If he relents, it means giving him the final weapon they have to stop Lucifer and Raphael from restarting the Apocalypse. If he refuses, it means Dean dies. Again. But he knew Lucifer would bring him back, he didn’t capture Dean to kill him so quickly. Castiel knows what he’s supposed to do, but he doesn’t want to say it.    
  
“Cas, listen to me,” Dean said as he took the responsibility away from him. “I don’t care if he has to kill me a thousand times, do not give him what he wants.”  
  
“I know,” Cas said. “I won’t. I’m sorry.”  
  
“I know,” Dean said as tears crawled out of his tear ducts and snaked down his cheeks. “It’s okay. Me or the world?  Easy choice, right?” he chuckled in an attempt to stop the flow of tears.    
  
“You have gotten pathetic, Castiel,” Raphael remarked. She picked up a knife and stabbed Castiel in the knee with it and twisted.  
  
As the skin around the knife glowed, Castiel’s grace screamed out of his orifices, along with his voice.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Castiel flew to Dean and Sam’s hotel room. When he got there, he saw carnage. Broken glass everywhere, broken furniture. Broken doors. Blood splattered the floor as well. Castiel’s eyes grew wide and he grabbed his phone and dialed Dean’s number.  
  
No answer.  
  
On cue, Dean walked into the room, munching a cheeseburger. He had a bloody bandage on his left temple.    
  
“Dean!”  
  
“Oh jeez, Cas.”  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine. No biggie. Relax.”  
  
“Relax? Dean, look at the room. I thought that blood belonged to you.”  
  
“Yeah, I get it, Cas. Look, I’m fine. I’m sorry if you got spooked.”  
  
Castiel’s posture relaxed a bit and he sat on one of the beds then sighed. Castiel was puzzled at the emotion he just experienced. An intense feeling of... fear. Of what? Losing Dean? Was he... worrying? Angels don’t --  
  
“Cas, since when do you get spooked anyway,” Dean interrupted Castiel’s thoughts.  
  
 _Since I met you_ , thought Castiel. It was true. But why? He doesn’t feel this way for Sam, and Sam's as important to the world as Dean is. Why is Dean so different from everyone else, human and angel alike?  
  
“Earth to Cas? You home?”  
  
“Yes, I’m sorry. I... Ever since I raised you, I have changed. I think differently. I feel emotions. I don’t know why, but I feel as I must protect you,” said Castiel with his intensely blue eyes shining under a very thin veil of water.    
  
“I must protect you because... I care about you. I don’t want to see you die. I’ve never felt like this before, not for anyone. Not for my brothers. Nobody but you.”  
  
“Wow, Cas. That was pretty deep,” Dean laughed, before pausing.  “Cas... I kind of feel the same. I can’t explain it. But I feel it. I love Sammy and you know I’d do anything for him, but when it comes to you, I...” Dean trailed off.  
  
Castiel realized that he had been holding his breath since he stopped talking. He exhaled and took in a deep breath and smiled, his eyes glued to Dean’s.  
  
Castiel has never felt more human than right now... and for the first time, he didn’t care.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m going to kill you Raphael,” provoked Dean.    
  
Raphael pulled the blade out of Castiel’s knee and Dean smiled internally. He didn’t care if Raphael was going to hurt him, as long as she left Castiel alone. He was fine with a little suffering considering what Castiel’s had to go through for the last three months.   
  
“Okay,” Raphael said as she stepped closer to Dean. She raised the blade up to Dean’s hand, and he prepared for the assault. Instead, however, Raphael put the handle into Dean’s hand, closed it, and spread her arms out wide.  
  
“Go ahead. Kill me.”  
  
“Dean,” Castiel gasped.  
  
Dean thought about the opportunity that had been laid in front of him. Maybe he could throw it and get her in the heart. That probably won’t kill her, but it should hurt.  
  
As Dean studied Raphael, Lucifer studied him. Lucifer has been watching Dean for a while now, and he can see how he reacts when it comes to Castiel. Even though he is just a mere human and Castiel is an Angel of the Lord, Dean still tries to protect him. Lucifer found this interesting.  
  
Dean threw the blade and it whipped through the air. Raphael glared at the blade as it clattered on the ground a foot from her.  
  
“Do you now see how worthless your words are?” Raphael asked.  
  
Dean just laughed. He had no idea what else to say or do. He was utterly helpless.  
  
“Dean, your words are not worthless,” Castiel urged. “They mean a lot --”  
  
Raphael interrupted by stabbing Dean in the stomach with the blade, right through the center of his soul. Dean’s body roared as his soul wailed in pain and Dean couldn’t even get a sound out, short for a few painful gasps. No pain was greater than the one in Castiel’s voice, however.  
  
“DEAN!!!!!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Bright side -- them chewing my meatsuit could buy you a few seconds,” Meg smirked.  “Seacrest out.”  
  
Meg opened her mouth wide and tried to evacuate her meatsuit, but could not. Her eyes widened and she shrank a little. The screaming of the demons being mauled by the hellhounds behind the doors rattled her.  
  
“It’s a spell, I think, from Crowley,” realized Castiel. “Within these walls, you’re locked inside your body.”  
  
“Karma’s a bitch, bitch,” added Dean, raising his eyebrow. Meg growled.  
  
“You’re the only one who can see them,” Sam said as he pulled out Ruby’s knife and handed it to Meg. “Take this. Hold them off. It’s our best shot.”  
  
“At Crowley,” Meg reminded Sam. “You kill the smarmy dick, I’ll hold off the dogs.”  
  
“How are you going to do that --” Dean started, but stopped cold. His eyes widened in shock as Meg grabbed the back of Castiel’s neck, pulled him close and locked lips. Meg reached into Castiel’s trenchcoat and pulled out his blade. Meg pulled back and smiled, but Castiel wasn’t done. He grabbed Meg, picked her up and slammed her against the wall and molested her tongue with his.  
  
Dean watched the event unfold and he did not like it at all. He found himself thinking,  _Why haven’t we done that?_  It was an extremely strange feeling... wanting to do that with Castiel. He never thought he’d ever say it, but he longed to be Meg for that second. He shook off that feeling.  
  
“What was that?” Meg exhaled as Castiel’s onslaught was over. Sam and Dean were staring at him.    
  
“I learned that from the pizza man,” Castiel explained sheepishly.  
  
“Well, A plus for you,” Meg approved.  
  
 _And he’s good_ , thought Dean.  _Shitfuck_.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blood splashed against the floor and Dean groaned. More blood spilled from Dean’s mouth and dribbled down his chin.    
  
“Dean! Dean!”    
  
“I’m just going to keep killing him over and over again. And every time I bring him back, the pain will be worse. Tell us where the weapon is and this stops,” Raphael said. She pressed her index and middle fingers on Dean’s forehead, and he was whole again. However, Raphael had restored only the body, nothing else. His stamina was still spent and his pain threshold was already way beyond maximum.  
  
Panting, Dean’s head hung limp. Dean was trying to catch his breath when Raphael landed a punch square in his stomach, the exact same spot she had stabbed moments earlier. The waves of pain that shot through Dean’s body pushed blood up Dean’s throat. Dean felt his mouth fill with blood, so he did the only reasonable thing he could.    
  
He spat in Raphael’s face.  
  
Raphael responded with a wicked right hook to Dean’s jaw.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meg poofed into Dean and Sam’s hotel room. She saw Sam sleeping soundly on one bed, but Dean was sitting on the edge of the other bed, his face buried in his hands.    
  
“Dean?”  
  
Dean jolted at the sound of her voice then exhaled when he saw who it was.  
  
“Fuck, Meg. What do you want?”  
  
“Dean, I found -- Dean, have you been crying?”  
  
“What? No,” Dean scoffed. He tried to wipe the tears away, but his eyes were puffy and red.    
  
“Wow, the mighty tough manly Dean is crying. This must be interesting. What’s going on?”  
  
“Fuck off, Meg. Just leave me alone.”  
  
Meg frowned and turned to leave. She hesitated as a memory flashed -- the moment when Castiel kissed her.    
  
“Dean, is this about Castiel?”  
  
Dean looked at her, trying to say no but unable to do so. Instead, he just sighed.  
  
“Holy shit, I knew it. You guys are in love, aren’t you?”  
  
“What? No, I’m not in love with a man,” rebutted Dean.    
  
“Castiel isn’t a man.  He’s an angel, he has no gender. Okay, that’s still weird, but it’s not like it’s wrong or anything. I think. It doesn’t matter, because I’ve seen the looks you guys share. Like when he kissed me. I saw that look you had. Jealousy.”  
  
“Oh please, I was not jealous,” Dean dismissed. Meg just laughed.  
  
“I’m a demon, Dean. I know jealousy when I see it. Don’t lie to me.”  
  
Dean gaped at Meg with his mouth open, unsure of what to say. He’s not really sure why he’s considering opening up to her, but it’s not like he has anybody to talk to. What would he say to Bobby and Sam, ‘Hey, what’s up guys? By the way, I think I love Castiel!’? No. Meg was the only one for him to confide in. Rest assured, he saw the irony in that.  
  
“Meg, he’s been missing for two months. I don’t know if I love him, but I feel something for him. I’m scared. I can’t lose him. But I can’t go through what I went through with Lisa again. Not with Castiel. I don’t think I could survive that.”  
  
“Dean, we’re trying our best. We’re going to find him. There has to be at least one demon who knows something about something. I got some information on who it might be. I’m going to find that demon. I promise you that,” Meg said. Then she added, “Love is a risk. It always is. It’ll hurt plenty, but it’ll be full of pleasure too. You just have to take that risk.”  
  
Dean watched Meg stand up and just before she disappeared, he asked, “Meg. Why are you helping me?”  
  
Meg sighed and paused for a few seconds before she spoke.  
  
“I know I’m a demon. I’ve got a rotten soul. I've done a lot of shitty things. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be... better. Have a better life. I’ve been around you guys for a few months now, and from what I’ve seen, you have a fucked up family. A really fucked up family. And a fucked up life. But you’ve got each other’s backs. You trust each other, you care about each other. You love each other.    
  
“Me? All demons do is backstab each other. We operate on fear, not on trust. I have been around for a long time, and I’m just tired of it. You have the better life. We’ve been busy since I got here, but I’ve felt much more peaceful. Happier, if that’s even possible. If an angel can change, why can’t a demon? Is it wrong of me to want that?”  
  
Dean saw Meg in a very different light now. He smiled and said, “No. It’s not wrong.”  
  
“I’m not saying being around you guys will automatically make me a saint. I know it won’t. Being here keeps me away from the other demons. Keeps me away from that life, and it gives me a chance to vent my frustrations. Why wouldn’t I be here?”  
  
Dean nodded slowly, smiling.  
  
Meg returned his smile. Before she poofed away, she added, “By the way, Dean. What you and Castiel have, it’s love. I’ve seen it enough times to know that.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That all you got, bitch?” Dean grinned, his teeth stained with blood.    
  
Raphael’s face filled with rage and she pounded on Dean’s stomach. Dean mixed his screams with groans, blood waterfalling down his mouth.    
  
Ignoring Castiel’s shouts, Lucifer commented, “Raphael, Raphael. For a hardcore archangel, you sure are emotional.”  
  
Raphael whipped her head at Lucifer’s direction so fast, her hair bitch-slapped Dean.    
  
“Relax, Raphael. We have plenty of time to play. We need to meet with the other angels and discuss our... next step,” Lucifer said with a smile. Raphael glowered at him, then at Castiel and Dean. She flew away, and Lucifer followed quickly, leaving Dean and Castiel alone.  
  
“Dean, are you okay?”   
  
“Yeah, Cas. I’ll be fine. We just gotta get outta here,” Dean said, licking his lips to clean them of blood. “Any ideas?”  
  
“No. I’m powerless. I can’t do anything.”  
  
“Then, what? Hang here and hope Sammy comes to save us?”  
  
“Why did you come here, Dean? You must have known you weren’t going to beat anyone alone.”  
  
Dean sighed. He looked into Castiel’s eyes, “I don’t know. Ever since you disappeared, I’ve felt so empty. It doesn’t feel right without you around. I haven’t been able to breathe right since. When I found out where you were, I just couldn’t sit still. I had to do something, so I came here. I know it was stupid. I probably commited suicide by coming here, but I had to do something. I needed to see you.”  
  
“Dean,” Castiel whispered. “I have been in pain too. I can feel it in me, right here,” he looked down to his chest. “I don’t know how but I felt this pain in my grace. It wasn’t from Lucifer or Raphael’s blows or the knives. I have never experienced this pain, so I don’t know what it was. I have felt it every day since I was here, except for when you arrived. That pain disappeared the moment I saw you, even though you came as a prisoner.”  
  
“Yeah,” Dean smiled. “I know what you mean.”  
  
“You do? What is it?”  
  
“I still can’t believe it, Cas, but... I think it’s love,” Dean breathed out. “I think we’re in love.”   
  
Castiel burrowed his eyebrows and stared into Dean’s eyes. Dean just simply laughed, his green eyes sparkling as tears fell down his cheeks. Castiel saw that Dean’s words were true. He really believed what he was saying.    
  
“I think you’re right, Dean,” Castiel’s mouth widened into a smile as his tears joined Dean’s, competing to see who would shed the most.    
  
Lucifer had, in fact, never left the room. He sat on a table in the furthest corner, just listening. An angel... in love with a human. That was not possible, he was sure. God would never allow that. Then again, God has continuously brought Castiel and the Winchesters back from death and/or from Hell. Most people don’t even get a second chance, but for them to have so many and continue to defy God made Lucifer seriously question his own motives. Lucifer thought about what his next step should be.  
  
But first, Lucifer must have proof of Castiel’s love.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucifer appeared in between Dean and Castiel, and both of them jerked in surprise. Raphael fluttered in somewhere.  
  
“Well, boys. This is the swan song. I have to go. Castiel. I’m going to make this simple. Tell me where the weapon is, or I’m going to kill Dean here, again. This time, I won’t bring him back and I’ll leave you in here forever, staring at his carcass as it rots.”  
  
The tone in Lucifer’s voice told Castiel that he was serious; he had no intention of bringing Dean back this time.  
  
“Choose. Now. Dean,” Lucifer pointed. “Or the weapon.”  
  
“Cas, don’t. I’ll die again every time. Don’t tell him anything. It’ll be fine.”  
  
“Sweet little Dean,” Lucifer commented. “Saying all the right things. Well, Castiel? What’s your choice?”  
  
“I.. I.. Lucifer...”  
  
“Very well, Castiel,” Lucifer said and picked up an axe that had been resting on the second tier of the table. He analyzed the weight of the axe, balanced it, inspecting it... prolonging the inevitable. Castiel’s heart grew heavier and heavier with every passing second.  
  
Dean’s smile was telling Castiel that it was okay, that this is what must happen. Dean’s eyes were sobbing goodbyes.    
  
The sight of Lucifer pulling the axe back and swinging at Dean’s head was too much.  
  
“Stop, Lucifer!! I’ll tell you where it is. Just don’t kill him. Please, brother,” Castiel begged. The axe stopped just short of Dean’s adam’s apple.    
  
“No, Cas! Don’t tell him anything!”  
  
“Shut up, Dean Winchester,” Lucifer said and Dean started choking on his words.    
  
“I’m sorry, Dean. I have to. I can’t watch you die again.”  
  
“So, Castiel. Where is it?”  
  
“I... I hid it in another dimension. Meld with me and I will show you where it is,” Castiel said slowly. Lucifer gave a curt nod, reached for Castiel’s head and closed his eyes as the connection between their minds formed.  
  
The doors to the room that was holding Dean and Castiel blew open. Sam, Bobby, and Meg all stormed in, each of them searching the room for something. Raphael appeared in the middle of the trio and immediately threw Meg one direction, Bobby and Sam in another. Raphael went after Bobby and Sam, shoving them both against the wall and squeezing their necks.    
  
“Sammy! Bobby! Meg!”   
  
Meg scanned the walls and found the symbol they were looking for -- the one that forbade angels from entering. She pulled out a can of spray paint from a small fanny pack and started painting across the symbol, breaking its hold. Her head slammed against the wall, blood breaking through a cut and flowing down her head and the wall. Raphael's hand clutched Meg's neck, holding her in place. With her free hand, Raphael pressed her palm on Meg’s forehead.  
  
Dean could hear Meg screaming as Raphael burned the demon within away. As the glow diminished from Meg’s meatsuit, Raphael felt a sharp pain shoot through her spine and stomach. She looked down to see an archangel blade sticking out. It pulled out and she fell to her knees and leaned against the wall, turning her head upon her killer.  
  
“Gabriel...”  
  
That was all she could say before her grace exploded and left a majestic shadow of a set of angelic wings on the wall behind her. The vessel collapsed onto the meatsuit of Meg’s.  
  
“Goodbye, brother,” Gabriel whispered.  
  
Balthazar released Dean from his prison, and he crumpled on the ground. He tried to get up so he could push Lucifer away, but Balthazar stopped him.  
  
“No, Dean. This is a mind meld. You can’t interfere unless you want to kill both of them. We have to wait until they finish.”  
  
Bobby and Sam rushed to Dean’s side, helping him up. They pulled him onto a chair, and Dean winced at the soreness of his entire body.  
  
After healing Dean, Gabriel held his blade over Lucifer’s throat and Balthazar pointed Raphael’s blade at the middle of Lucifer’s back, both of them waiting for the moment they came out of the meld.  

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a place that resided in both their minds, Lucifer and Castiel hovered in an opening of nothingness. Everything was white. Lucifer stared at Castiel disbelievingly. Castiel looked weak, even in here. They hovered in silence for what seemed like minutes before Lucifer spoke.  
  
“You actually gave me the location. For a human. Now that I know where it is, I’m going to get it, then I’m going to kill any angel that opposes me, starting with you. Then I’m going to get Michael out of that cage, and I’m going to have that fight with him. Billions of humans will die. You chose a single life over everyone else. Why would you do that? ”  
  
“I don’t understand why I feel this way, but I do. If I can save Dean’s life, then I’ll gladly die. I don’t care if others die, and I know how much of a disgrace I am to the angels. We’re supposed to protect them all, not just one but... I just can’t. I can’t watch Dean die anymore. Dean’s soul and my grace have been linked. From the moment I raised him from perdition, I have known he was different than the rest. The humans call it love. I don’t know what it is. I’m not falling, because I still have my grace. I don’t understand it. But I feel it. I can’t stop it. I’ve tried. Michael punished me for it once, but I can’t stop. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt Dean, even if it’s God. I will die for him. He would do the same for me. He’s proven that. So, in human terms... yes, I am in love with Dean Winchester.”  
  
Lucifer stared at Castiel, absorbing every word he said. Angels are connected to each other’s minds during a meld. If anyone lies inside a meld, the other would know. Castel wasn’t lying.  
  
“Okay,” Lucifer said after a while of silence. “Let’s recap. First, Sam died. Then Dean traded his life for Sam’s, then died and went to hell. Then you were dispatched to bring Dean back from hell. Then Sam jumps into the cage with me, and you pull us both out, even though you didn’t mean to get me out. Bastard. Then there’s that countless times they were killed by other hunters. The Winchesters have lucked their way into killing several angels, including Zachariah. You were killed by Raphael, brought back to life by God, then killed again by yours truly, and brought back again. Did I get everything?”  
  
“What’s your point?”  
  
“In Hell, you can hear people screaming for their loved ones. Some scream for years. It made me curious as to what spurned their devotion to their loved ones. I began thinking about the words God spoke before he sent Michael to shun me. And now... God has resurrected you and the Winchesters several times despite the fact you all go against Heaven’s orders repeatedly. Why does God favor you and not me or Michael or Gabriel? There’s no explanation... unless this is what God wants us to do.”  
  
Lucifer’s brow furrowed as he went deeper into thought. His eyes were looking at Castiel, but they weren’t focused on him. They were focused on something else beyond Castiel. Castiel was trying to analyze what Lucifer was saying, but he wasn’t sure where Lucifer was going with this.  
  
“Maybe I misunderstood our Father. Maybe we all did, except you. He told us to love the humans more than anything, and that is what you've just done. You chose a single human over everything. You are doing what God has commanded.”  
  
Castiel gaped at Lucifer, putting together the pieces. “Lucifer, I...”  
  
“No,” Lucifer dismissed. “I am sorry, Castiel. I started all this because I was a fool. I thought I knew best. This is what God meant. This is what he wants. He didn't mean for us to love all of humanity, he meant for us to experience love. True love. I will not harm any of you anymore.”  
  
A tear slid down Castiel’s cheek as he stammered, trying to get a sentence out.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mind meld dissipated and Lucifer found himself staring at Gabriel’s blade.  
  
“Well, you guys have impeccable timing, I’ll give you that.”    
  
“You okay, Castiel?” Balthazar asked.    
  
“Yes. I’m fine,” Castiel said, wiping the tear away.  “Leave Lucifer alone. He will not hurt us.”  
  
Gabriel and Balthazar retreated their blades as Dean shouted, “What? Cas, what do you mean he won’t hurt us? He killed me a few times today!”  
  
“Yes, I know, Dean. But it will not happen again,” he said as he looked at Lucifer. Lucifer gives a small smile and a nod.   
  
“You really do love him,” Lucifer whispered before his wings flapped.  
  
“Release me now, please, brothers.”  
  
Gabriel and Balthazar broke Castiel free of his restraints and helped him down. They waddled him to a table where he laid to rest.  
  
“It will take a while for my grace to be fully restored, but I will be fine. Are you okay, Dean?”  
  
“Yeah, Cas, I’m fine,” Dean said with a laugh.    
  
“You better be fine, you idjit,” Bobby grumbled. “Damn bastard scared us to death. Don’t do that again, Dean.”  
  
Dean offered only an apologetic smile. Then he remembered the scream he heard earlier and it took his smile away.  
  
“Meg’s dead, isn’t she?”  
  
Bobby nodded. “Good riddiance,” he added. “Now we don’t have to worry about her stabbing us in the back.”  
  
“No,” Dean said. “She wouldn’t have done that. Not anymore.”  
  
Sam asked with a puzzled face, “Since when do you go soft for demons?”   
  
“Since she taught me that if angels can change, so can demons.”  
  
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sam asked, “So, who was Lucifer talking about, Castiel?”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**A few weeks later ** _  
  
“So, you finally all good to go, Cas?”  
  
“Yes, Dean, I’m in good health. I’m good to go.”  
  
“Great,” Dean said. Dean packed a few things, grabbed a few beers from the refrigerator. He picked up the keys for the Impala and walked out the door, calling for Castiel to join him in the car.  
  
Cas was already inside when Dean opened the door and plopped inside.  
  
“You miss me, baby?” Dean asked the Impala, rubbing the dashboard as he started up the engine and hit the gas pedal.  
  
“What are we doing now?”  
  
“Cas, we’re going to go get some burgers and a pie. The best fucking pie money can buy. Then we’re going to drive until we’re alone, and we’re going to have our first date.”  
  
“Our... first date?”  
  
“Well, we’ve had plenty of dates before I suppose, but this is our first one as a couple,” Dean grinned. “Besides, most of those dates ended up with one of us dead, and I’m pretty determined to not let that happen this time.”  
  
Castiel’s face reddened a bit as he answered, “Okay.”    
  
“Before we go,” Dean whispered.  “I’m going to have that kiss.”  
  
Dean’s hand grazed Castiel’s cheek and explored his hair.  When his hand was behind Castiel’s head, Dean slowly pulled him closer. He leaned forward and kissed the soft lips of Castiel’s, their eyelids flickering in ecstasy. Their lips parted and grew to the biggest smiles either of them can give. Castiel’s eyes flickered from Dean’s eyes to his lips, and back and forth. Castiel couldn’t decide if he wanted to look into his eyes or kiss him again. So, he kissed Dean and kept his eyes open, staring into Dean’s green eyes. They were only centimeters apart, their tongues wrestling.  
  
“I’m going to assume that’s your ‘I wanna fuck’ stare,” Dean giggled after he came up for air. “Not yet, Cas, not yet. We have to have our first date first.”

###  **

Epilogue

**

__

__

Meg vaguely recognized that she wasn’t in pain anymore, so she stopped screaming. She opened her eyes and what laid in front of her was probably the last thing she ever expected to see. Laughter erupted from her mouth as she wondered, _how? How can I be here?_

“The Winchesters are pretty impressive. Not only did they get an angel to open his eyes, but they also got a demon to do so too.”  
  
Meg spun around, looking for the source of the voice. She found a man standing by a picnic table.  
  
“Who are you?”  
  
“Call me Chuck. I’m the guy who wrote the Supernatural books.”  
  
“The prophet? I heard about you. You just disappeared. How did you die?”  
  
“Oh, I didn’t die,” laughed Chuck. “I had done my part for the time being. I needed to focus on other things. I’ll be getting back to the Supernatural books soon. The Winchesters’ journey is only half done, I'm afraid.”  
  
“If you didn’t die, then how are you here... who are you again?  An angel?”  
  
“Well, my name is Chuck, but you probably know me better as God.”  
  
Meg took a few seconds to digest the words that came out of Chuck’s mouth.  _Really? I'm talking to God?_  
  
“Wait, so the prophet is actually God? Not bad. Gold star for creativity.”  
  
Chuck laughed, taking a little bow.    
  
“So... why am I here? This isn't this where demons go after they die, is it?”  
  
“No, Meg. I brought you here because you proved that you wanted to change. That you did change. You and Castiel proved that you don’t have to be a slave to the standard. That you can make your own choices, just like the Winchesters have.”  
  
“Oh... thank you, Chuck. God. Uh, what do I call you?”  
  
“Chuck is fine,” God replied with a smile.  
  
Meg looked away, a little overwhelmed. She stared into the ocean that was crashing the beach near the table.    
  
“Can I go swim?”  
  
“It’s your Heaven, Meg. You tell me.”  
  
With a grin plastered on her face, Meg tore off her clothes and dove into the water.  
  
Chuck watched her swim against the sunset and chuckled. “Better buckle up, Winchesters. It’s going to be a bumpy ride to the end.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've ever written. It's not the best, but I like it. I hope you guys do too. Feedback would be greatly appreciated :)


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